Dade County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 45% of Dade County's mapped land, a higher share than 62% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 61% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1972.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Dade County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 44.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 11.9% |
| Mapped soil | 323,942 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Goss | 21% | 0% |
| Barden | 10% | n/a |
| Cliquot | 7% | n/a |
| Creldon | 7% | n/a |
| Sonsac | 4% | n/a |
| Pomme | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO057 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.4% by land area here, and 12% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Dade County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 45% of Dade County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 43.79 in, 1.05 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.84 in.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 30 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 45.9% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Dade County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.84 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.79 in (-1.05) |
| 2025 | 40.26 in (-4.58) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1927: 63.04 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1980: 23.12 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LOCKWOOD (6 mi away) | 13.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,774 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 61% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $170,600 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar County, MO | 21 mi | 11% | 49% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 23 mi | 8% | 68% |
| Barton County, MO | 27 mi | 54% | 69% |
| Polk County, MO | 28 mi | 24% | 59% |
| Greene County, MO | 31 mi | 9% | 49% |
| Jasper County, MO | 31 mi | 35% | 48% |
| Vernon County, MO | 39 mi | 54% | 63% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 42 mi | 23% | 33% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status